The present invention is related to media distribution. More particularly, the present invention is related to systems and methods for controlling media distribution based upon persons within proximity of the distribution point.
There has been a growing concern over media content that minors are being exposed to through outlets such as television and the Internet. In some cases, there is a competing desire for adults to have access to such content. In part because of this the adult oriented content is often available to minors. Various efforts have been employed to limit the content that a minor accesses while maintaining an ability for an adult to access such content. For example, the VCHIP was developed which allows for authentication of a user, and thereupon to allow access to authorized content. This has limited a minor's ability to access the content, but has not done anything to cope with the situation where a minor enters the room where an adult is viewing adult content. In such cases, the authorized viewer has often found themselves hopelessly scrambling to change the channel or otherwise modify the media content.
Further, in many cases it is desirable to maintain a level of privacy when viewing media content accessible via the Internet. For example, an employee accessing a particular webpage may not want their manager or other employees to know of the content that they are accessing. One solution to this problem has been to implement a hot key whereby the employee can quickly press a select entry via a keyboard causing an Internet browser application to be swapped out with a more acceptable business application. Such an approach has offered some relief, but it has been less than fully effective.
Hence, for at least the aforementioned reasons, there exists a need in the art for advanced systems and methods for controlling access to various media content and for maintaining privacy in relation to media access.